What's in a name?
by Hija del Angel
Summary: L writes of names and their power, one day, and comes up with a final hypothesis, and a potential long term plan to banish the Shinigami... then promptly dies. Centuries later, in a world subjugated by Shinigami and their Kira, this document is found, and L is hailed as Messiah.


**_Disclaimer: Not mine._**

* * *

_{The first page consists of a polite page that almost reads like a dedication. The writing starts in a vibrant blue.}_

I, L, have decided on a way to defeat Kira once and for all. Remember, it is a final measure, not to be taken lightly. The following are my notes, since I started this venture. I have not, obviously, had the time or patience to neaten them, and if you are reading them, I never will. Kira killed me, yes? Of course.

What can I say, a touching goodbye?

Forget it. Not the time.

Perhaps to understand my ramblings you must believe this; this is purely the rambling of a genius, though some might say insane, mind. I was playing on a tangent in order to come at the problem from an angle, and this is what I speculated.

_{Here the text truly starts. Untidy, colorful with insightful comments scattered throughout, their age differentiated only by L's habit of using different colored pens, they are... a work of art. Scrawled on top is the line from Shakespeare, 'That which we call a rose...' It appears to be scrawled around with question marks, exclamation points and 'i's, interestingly enough, all neatly dotted._

_Then legible text starts._

_First is a neat (-ish) message that is in green, and has clearly been added at a different time from the original writing, probably later, "For sanity's sake, let us write down a definition sooner, rather then later: Name, (Noun): A word or set of words by which a person, animal, place, or thing is known, addressed, or referred to."_

_Then the original text starts. It's in yellow. And L speculates on how the Shinigami kills.}_

Kira kills by knowing a name, and writing it in that infernal scrapbook. If it is a false name, the process will not work. No matter how much Kira himself may think that it is true.

_{A note scrawled in the margin in red says, "Case in point, Naomi Misora."}_

So Kira's knowledge, belief or use is not what makes a name. Perhaps because Kira is only one person of hundreds? Majority wins?

So what if someone is known by a false name? Is known by only a select few by a 'real' name?

_{A green pen writing diagonally on top of the writing, so it's hard to make out the words says, "What makes a real name?"}_

Such as, for instance, me. Since I have not died yet, and my 'name' is known only to some three people on this world, I would argue that in truth, I _am_ L. My 'real' name has not been used for years.

And this automatically argues against the very definition of a name. No one knows, or uses my 'name'. However, this same name would be called real, my intrinsic calling card.

Maybe it has rather more supernatural origins. The first name a babe is called? But that would undoubtedly be something asinine like 'Goochiwoo' or such nonsense. Imagine the horror if a Shinigami were to write that failed pretense at a proper sound into it's hallowed scrapbook. Would the world fall dead?

_{In the lowest corner of the page, there is a comment in red, "The horror. We are alive because of a Shinigami's lack of anything remotely resembling a sense of humor." There is a scribble of a Shinigami with a speech bubble emerging from it's mouth, with "Mwahaha!" scribbled in. None of us expected L to doodle.}_

Somehow, this seems unlikely.

Maybe the first word told a babe with the intent to name? But I understand that would result in 'real' names being preliminaries, more often then not, such as 'Baby', 'Little guy,' and even such atrocities as 'Oochikums'. Somehow this does not ring real either.

Then is legalities it? What is legally a person's name? what is entered into the official records? The databases? Then would changing your name legally work? I have sent Watari to begin the process of legally erasing my name.

_{A later comment in green states that the process is complete.}_

Of course, if this was just an experiment, I would change my name, then allow for Kira to learn it, to test the hypothesis, but since I find myself irreplaceable, I am taking this more drastic measure instead.

My final hypothesis is that the naming of a child has ritualistic implications, started when a child is solemnly assigned a name, to carry all it's life, to respond to, or not, to use, or not, but an intrinsic part of it's being.

The Shinigami attack this fundamental connection between a man and himself, obliterating his very existence, controlling his self.

_{The page is ripped here, the last words being in blue again. "Now that I have reasoned that out clearly, if I die, you know there is only one possibility left, and what to-" And there it ends. We think the next word is 'do.'}_

* * *

_After studying these pages we came to decide that the original ink L wrote in was yellow. His original commentary on the paper was in red. His notations to make things easier for whoever he left the document for was in green, and his explanation in blue._

Since L's time, the Shinigami have grown stronger. They now rule our world, squeezing perverse enjoyment out of grinding the once proud race of humanity into the dust. Their human counterparts, now numbering in the fifties, the wielders of the Deathnotes, a Shinigami's representative on earth are known as the the Kira, a remnant from a long ago age.

The Shinigami hold on to their reigns by ensuring that each name be entered into their databases on birth. Also by removing any trace of information on how their weapon, the Deathnotes actually worked.

However, Humanity has a track record of being notoriously hard to cow, and while keeping their collective heads bowed, always brew rebellion within resentment. And if one plot not work, then well, maybe the next will, or the next, or the next.

By the time my mother stumbled across these records these precious, casual documents, detailing carefully how to avoid the kill that seemed so sudden, she was already part of the fifth generation born under slavery. And she recognized what she held, understood what L had meant to say.

She carefully assembled other women, her age, newly married, expecting mothers, most. And she explained to them what they would do.

Our mothers named us. The spoke our names to us only once and never again. They assigned numbers among each other, from one through twenty six, and from that we knew each others' real names.

Then they gave other names, normal names to the register, and these names were used. We did what L who was Lawliet had done, only in reverse.

Others had not known what it was the gave the Shinigami power, and never thought of lying about their names. We grieved each life lost in our generation because our mothers had feared spreading the news too far, that too many were too dangerous, and too obviously spotted. Each of us can count out the many, many names lost to preserve us. Only twenty six, they dared to save.

Then we were trained, the ones (hopefully) immune to the Shinigami Kill as it was known.

We learned of L, his brilliance, how to hide, how to recycle the ruins of our economy, how to solve problems, to be future leaders, all twenty six of us, brothers and sisters, so very different, but the ones fate had chosen.

I was given the document of L the day we set out to finally meet the goal we had been born for. I treasured it.

We rose higher and higher and when the Shinigami finally noticed, we were in a position to retaliate when the Kira wrote us. Then we took back what was ours and destroyed the abominations known as Deathnote.

Then were were done. Each Deathnote was accounted for, and had cost the Shinigami enough that they would not think of doing this mischief again soon. And soon meant millennium upon millennium to us.

We stopped calling each other with false names, hide names, as we called them, originally being formal and stilted, then gradually easing. We were comrades, after all, and this was symbolic, the last of a fear.

Ayela who is Aye took the position of head, and she deserved it. Isis who is Ey went crazy, trying to preserve a Deathnote, and Efrith who is Ef had to kill her. He was never the same afterwards. Derin, De became the publicity manager. I could count them out, all twenty six of us. We all helped out, who didn't break under the strain or were... lost in other ways.

And me?

I took an eraser and a Deathnote to the grave of L, and carefully ceremoniously took his name off the fatal list. As our messiah rose, I burned the disgusting... scrapbook.

He turned to look at me, and I said, "I am honored to meet you, L who is Lawliet. I am Lawliet who is Ell."

And everything was fine.

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**_I'm pretty sure this doesn't make sense, does it? For one thing, I actually haven't watched Death Note. Someone should probably flame me for writing what I didn't know, but you can just assume it's an AU 'verse where such things happen, I guess._**

**_Oh yeah, cause this confused me while writing; in _ who is _ They are saying, [false name] who is [real name]. And just in case someone didn't get it (I'm not sure entirely how cryptically I showed it) they are twenty-six of the new guys. They are named for the alphabet._**

**_And cause I'm anal retentive about it... I have the names of all twenty six written down._**

**_My second ever fanfiction._**

**_Oh lord, I don't want to post this..._**

**_Hija_**


End file.
